Reflection 3

Judging from my congestion, the mild sunburn, and the abundant bug life that is flying around, I would say spring has finally revealed itself. For the first time since coming to this reflection spot, I can sit comfortably in shorts and a t-shirt. Today on the drive back from our canoe trip up a tributary of the James, I thought about what Taylor said about the water readings they had taken on the stream that enters campus and the one that flows out and how the water quality is significantly worse after flowing through our campus. Yes, most people could have likely hypothesized that it was true, but confirming it makes it seem so much more unfortunate. In a place that has been established to spread knowledge and understanding of the world around us, it seems like there would be greater steps to reduce our footprint on the environment.  That of course is a fairly simplistic/ romantic view of what universities are, but what else are they for? Growing up? Experimenting? Socializing? Shouldn’t the idea that there is a causal relationship between what one does and its effects on the environment just be a small step from all of these things?